The problem of air pollution is one of the urgent and intractable problems of our time. Mankind is trying to find a way out - environmentally friendly fuels are invented, new methods of waste disposal are developed, and harmless materials for production and construction are created.
The main sources of air pollution are man-made and natural. A natural source is what happens in nature with more or less regularity. There is no escape from this - we are unlikely to ever be able to prevent the eruption of the volcano, guarantee protection from forest fires or dust storms. The decomposition of animals or plants also contributes to the gradual pollution of the atmosphere.
Anthropogenic effects on the atmosphere come from man. Here you can highlight the rapidly developing and expanding industrial enterprises, the fuel and energy complex, engineering enterprises and, of course, transport.
A lot of gaseous substances enter the atmosphere that harm it, but do not forget about solid particles - dust, soot, soot. In areas where industrial enterprises are concentrated, hazardous heavy metals such as nickel, copper, cadmium, mercury, lead, vanadium and chromium have already become permanent air components. The problem of airborne large quantities of lead is becoming especially threatening.
In general, in the 20th century, the content of ozone and carbon dioxide in the air changed significantly. The daily burning of fossil fuels increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. This is exacerbated by the narrowing of the rainforest, which transforms the gas composition of the atmosphere.
The effects of air pollution are multilateral. Dirty air adversely affects the quality of natural ecosystems. How polluted the atmosphere in a particular region can be judged by the state of the planet’s green cover - forests.
Forest biocenoses suffer from acid rain. Such rains are caused by nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Scientists have found that conifers are more susceptible to the negative effects of acid rain than broadleaf. Needless to say, plantations in large industrial centers suffer the most.
No less important is the problem of depletion and thinning of the ozone layer, the formation of ozone holes. This is caused by the excessive use of freons in everyday life and production.
In addition to freons, atmospheric pollution is also caused by gases that have never been present in its composition. Yes, the volumes of these gases are incomparably less than the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but still they can be much more dangerous.
In the 20th century, air pollution also occurs through radioactive elements. The source of such pollution is test explosions when testing a new type of weapon - hydrogen or atomic bombs. In addition, the production of nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors. Even minor damage and accidents at nuclear reactors lead to air pollution, and such a global catastrophe as the Chernobyl accident dramatically and significantly worsened the atmosphere.
Natural processes occurring in the biosphere are being negatively affected by the effects of human economic activity more and more. Fortunately, at this stage, the biosphere still retains the ability to self-regulation, so far it can neutralize or at least minimize the harm caused by humanity. However, there is a limit beyond which - the inability of the biosphere to maintain the necessary balance. When this happens, environmental disasters happen that people have already encountered in some regions of the world.